Sheldon Adelson 311 R.
(photo credit: Reuters)
X
Dear Reader,
As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before.
Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications,
like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations,
we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open
and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news
and analyses from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
As one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.
For $5 a month you will receive access to the following:
- A user experience almost completely free of ads
- Access to our Premium Section
- Content from the award-winning Jerusalem Report and our monthly magazine to learn Hebrew - Ivrit
- A brand new ePaper featuring the daily newspaper as it appears in print in Israel
Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.
Thank you,
Ronit Hasin-Hochman, CEO, Jerusalem Post Group
Yaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief
UPGRADE YOUR JPOST EXPERIENCE FOR 5$ PER MONTH
Show me later
WASHINGTON – Jewish Republicans and Democrats traded barbs Friday over the
propriety of taking money from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson.
The National
Jewish Democratic Council threw down the gauntlet on Thursday, calling on the
GOP and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to refuse
money from Adelson, who has pumped millions of dollars into PACs supporting the
party and candidate.
NJDC president David Harris launched an online
petition drive calling for the rejection of “tainted” money from Adelson, who
has been accused of corruption and allowing prostitution on his
property.
In response, Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republic
Jewish Coalition, slammed the NJDC campaign.
“It is absolutely outrageous
that the NJDC would stoop so low to character assassination of the one
individual who has done so much for the Jewish people and Jewish philanthropy
for the sake of partisan political gain,” Brooks charged.
He noted that
Adelson, who is a major funder of the RJC, has not been found to have engaged in
any illegal practices, and that many of the allegations have been made by a
“disgruntled” former employee.
JPOST VIDEOS THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU:
Brooks also questioned why the NJDC had
not called on Adelson to return the millions of dollars he has given to Jewish
federations, Taglit-Birthright, Yad Vashem and other Jewish
charities.
“There are different standards in these different areas,
between politics and philanthropy,” Harris said, adding that there’s a “higher
standard for those seeking the highest office in the land.”
Harris
emphasized that the NJDC is not saying the allegations against Adelson are true,
but is merely asking his political beneficiaries to refrain from accepting his
donations until the cases against him have been resolved.
Adelson
initially donated generously to Newt Gingrich during the Republican primary, but
has now backed Romney since he clinched the nomination.
Romney will soon
be traveling to Israel, and some have suggested that the decision to go to
Israel was affected by the staunchly pro-Israel Adelson’s support.
Brooks
rejected that assertion as “absolutely absurd.”
He said that Romney is
seeking to draw contrasts with US President Barack Obama’s treatment of Israel,
a country that he has not visited during his time in office, though he did stop
there during the 2008 campaign.
“This trip is absolutely consistent with
everything he [Romney] has said publicly” about Israel, according to Brooks.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>